Gemma's Story
by VeilandSparks
Summary: What if Cedric Diggory had a sister? This is the story of Gemma Diggory, a Hufflepuff when she gets to Hogwarts girl who is one year behind Harry and Co. Eventual, how she deals with Cedric's death, and Voldemorts supposed return, please read and review
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. except the charactes I make up and the events I make up.  
Please read and review!!!! I want ideas, I have to Christmas of First year written, so any ideas would be great. After this chapter, I am skipping to when she gets her letter, but please read this, I worked hard!!  
Plus, there are like no stories about Hufflepuff, so I thought I should write one, and then I came up with this character, and I thought it could be cool.  
Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 1**

"Mummy look, Ced got his letter!" A small girl with wild brown hair came flying into the kitchen clutching a thick envelope addressed to a Mr. Cedric Diggory. An eleven year old boy looked up excitedly, indeed he was so excited he dropped his spoon and sent the milk in his cereal jumping all over the table.

"Really? Well give it here Gemma." Cedric tore the letter out of his sister's hands and ripped it open. "Can we go to buy all my stuff soon Mum?" Cedric called out of the room.

"Of course we can dear," came Mrs. Diggory's voice and a thin dark haired witch coming out of the room into which Cedric had just yelled. "I need to go to Diagon alley in about a week anyway, so we can go then."

"Me to, right Mummy?" The little girl asked; a very worried expression on her face.

"Yes Gemma, I suppose you're old enough to come with us, if you will promise to stay with me the entire time." Gemma did not appear to have heard anything past "Yes Gemma" because at those two words, she jumped up, gave her mother a hug and starting dancing around the room crashing into almost everything she came near. "Careful Gem," came Mrs. Diggory's scolding voice, "if you don't behave yourself I may have to change my mind."

Gemma immediately assumed a very subdued demeanor indeed, which caused her brother to laugh at her, and Gemma to throw him a very angry glare and flounce from the room in the manner she had seen muggle pictures of ballerina's hold themselves. These pictures had convinced her the only thing she wanted to be when she grew up was a ballerina. For Gemma was seven years old, and, in the manner of most seven year olds, had her entire life planned out.

She was going to marry someone fabulously rich and live happily ever after in a castle that was similar to the ones princesses lived in and spend all day dancing in a beautiful pink tutu and wear flowers in her hair. She was going to meet her prince when she went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And now Cedric got to go, but she wouldn't get for another three years. She had turned seven exactly three weeks, two days, four hours and twelve minutes ago, on June 28th. She knew this because she was practically counting the days until she would turn eleven, and get a letter like her brother's.

Gemma Rose Diggory was very proud of who she was. She thought she was still too young to be pretty, but she hoped she would be when she was older. She was about average height for her age, and had brown hair down to her elbow's that tended to get messy as she was a very active sort of child. Her mother encouraged her activity, saying it was no good for girls to think they had to stay inside and be good all the time. Gemma liked to play little girl games as well, but growing up with just an older brother makes you have to play boy games sometimes.

On the day of the Diagon alley trip, Gemma woke up at 6:30 in the morning and immediately jumped out of bed and picked out what she thought was her most mature looking outfit. She was determined to prove that she was just as mature as Cedric, and she would start with how early she got up and how nice she looked. She knew her mother valued promptness and cleanliness very highly. After putting on a blue pleated skirt with a white knitted sweater she ran down the top flight of stairs two at a time and then jumped on the banister and slid down the last flight landing neatly in the living room at 6:52 am. No one else was even awake. It was going to be a long morning…

Finally, the rest of her family was up and ready to go at 8:30 and as they all put on their clocks and gathered round the fire place to floo into the Leaky Cauldron. Cedric had taken the longest to get ready. Gemma suspected he enjoyed watching her practically burst with excitement and she inhaled her breakfast and then bounced around the house for an hour and half. In fact, she had been so excited; her mother had threatened to jinx her so that she had to stay seated. Although, of course, Gemma knew she was joking. Her mother would rather eat her wand than jinx either of her children.

Gemma could tell this was going to be the best day of her life. Everything was a brand new adventure for her. She had never seen the Leaky Cauldron or the magical brick wall that concealed the entrance into Diagon alley. The one damper in the day was finding out her mother had put a charm on the two of them making it so Gemma could not stray more than ten feet away. But altogether Gemma had a wonderful day. Her dad convinced her mum that she deserved a break from the charm and then took her to get some ice cream from a very nice man with very funny name she couldn't remember five minutes after hearing it.

After ice cream, her dad took her to all the different shops, and although she begged as hard as she could, he would not buy her an owl, though he did let her choose one for Cedric to take to school with him. After spending a lovely morning with her dad, the two of them met up with her mum and brother to go buy a wand. She had heard that the man who owned the wand shop was a bit weird and she desperately wanted to confirm those rumors. Well the man certainly did confirm the rumors, he was quite unlike anyone she had ever met, and living in the magical world for eight years had introduced her to some very odd characters.

On the morning of September 1st, contrary to the trip to Diagon alley, Gemma was the last one up and took as long as she could picking out her clothes and ate her breakfast as slow as she could.

"Come on, Gemma, give us a smile," her dad coaxed, and received and scowl with and ill-disguised smile in it. "I know you're going to miss Cedric, but we can write to him, and we'll see him at Christmas."

Gemma shook her head, her father was right of course, but _Christmas?_ That was ages away. Gemma had never been away from her bother longer than a week, when she went to a summer camp for young witches and wizards, where she had met a young boy and girl who lived nearby, Ron and Ginny Weasley. They were nice, Gemma had become rather close to Ginny, who was the same age as her, but she didn't get to see her much because she couldn't apparate and it rather far to walk. Besides, she didn't like boys, they were always dirty, and Ginny had six older brothers who anyone who went near the Weasley house had to deal with.

While Gemma was lost in her own thoughts, everyone else was getting ready to go, and before she knew it, she found herself being steered out of the house, and into a car her dad had borrowed from the Ministry of Magic, where he worked. She was minimally aware of Cedric chattering on and on about of getting on his house Quidditch team, and going on about which house he was going to be in. Gemma didn't want to rude so she didn't blurt out that obviously he would either be in Hufflepuff of Ravenclaw, because mostly it went by family and their dad had been a Hufflepuff and their mum had been a Ravenclaw. She knew that Cedric knew all that and also that he was just talking about Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but she didn't care. Gemma was mad at Cedric for leaving, why couldn't he wait until she was eleven and go with her? Why did he have to leave her all alone for the next three years. She decided she would have to ask Mummy if she could go and visit Ginny more often or she would never make it through the next couple of years.

At the station, Gemma was bored. Mummy and Dad were just telling Cedric all sorts of last minute reminders and things like that, and it had nothing to do with Gemma. She was quite glad to see the Weasley family. So she went over to talk to Ginny. Their three oldest brothers were going to Hogwarts; Bill, Charlie and Percy. Fred and George were staring the next year, Ron would be the year before Gemma who was in the same year as Ginny.

"Hi Ginny," Gemma smiled at them. "do you come to King's Cross every year?" Gemma was amazed when she nodded. She hated it at the station. All the excited kids going to Hogwarts and she had to go back through the wall and go home for another three years. It was just not fair.

"Wanna see something cool?" Fred or George asked her. She could never tell which was which.

"No." She replied, a little timidly, and took a step back from them. Anything they thought was cool, tended to be at the expense of some unwary passer-by. The two of them gave her identical evil grins and she abandoned all courtesy and firmly stepped behind their mother. Mrs. Weasley was a bit surprised at first, and faltered in her lecture to her three older sons about what she expected from them. Bill had apparently been made a prefect that year and Mrs. Weasley was telling her two younger sons to stay out of trouble, and Bill that she was very proud of him already and knew he would make her even prouder.

When she realized why Gemma was hiding behind her, she abandoned talking to her school bound sons and started trying to force Fred and George to confess to what they had done to frighten Gemma so.

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley. They hadn't done anything, they were just grinning at me in that way they had and he," Gemma pointed at the twin who had asked her the question, for she still didn't know which was which, "asked me if I wanted to see something cool, and I was afraid they were going to prank me, but they haven't, so it's okay." Mrs. Weasley smiled at Gemma kindly.

"I can see they haven't hurt you, and they probably weren't going to do anything in the first place, they do this all the time to Ginny at home." When Gemma looked confused, Mrs. Weasley continued. "They make her think they are about to do something to her, or she walks in the room and they start laughing to make her think they have already done something. They are really much too old for this sort of behavior and I want it to stop. And now if they are torturing other people, and in public too." Gemma suspected the last bit Mrs. Weasley said was more to herself than to Gemma, and Mrs. Weasley sighed and then promptly began to yell at the twins because in the absence of her attention they had stolen Percy's wand from his pocket and were making Ginny's hair stand on end and would not let it go no matter how much Ginny shrieked at them. They let it down immediately, and gave Percy back his wand when they realized their mum had seen and decided the best way to go was to feign innocence.

Gemma was quiet the whole car ride back home, the only thing she was looking forward to was hanging out with Ginny next week. Ginny had agreed to come spend the night at Gemma's house and Gemma suspected part of the reason was because it meant she would be away from her brothers for a little while. When she got home she went into Cedric's room to see if he had left anything because she wanted a real excuse to write him so that he didn't think she was missing him. To her delight, she discovered he had left a pair of shoes on his bed, and decided that since it was possible he had left them on purpose, that she would write asking if he wanted them, hoping that would begin a correspondence. She sat down at his desk and took out a parchment, ink and a quill.

_Dear __Ced_

_I found these shoes_ (Gemma decided not to put "in your room" hoping he would forget where he had left them)  
_and I was wondering if you want them back.  
__If you do, write me back and I will send them  
too you.__ How is Hogwarts? Do you have any new  
classes? __New teachers?__ I want to know everything  
about Hogwarts so I will be prepared when I go.  
Are the teachers all nice? If not, who isn't?  
Did you get lost a lot when you first went?  
I bet I do… Oh well, write me back please,  
please, please!!!!  
__Love, Gemma_

After going to find the family owl and sending him off with her letter; Gemma went back into the kitchen feeling pleased with herself.

"What have you been doing, I haven't seen you around." Her father asked when she went into the kitchen. He was making lunch, and Gemma eagerly went to help. She rather liked cooking, particularly with her father.

"Sent a letter to Cedric." She replied simply. Her father looked at her, surprised and then chuckled.

"That letter is going to beat him to Hogwarts, Gemmy." He surveyed the top of her head for she had looked to the floor, a bit embarrassed. "You really miss him don't you?" Her dad sounded almost sad when he said that, but she was just starting to think that she couldn't think what was so sad when she felt her throat start to tighten. _No,_ she said to herself, _I am __s__e__ven__ years old and I do not cry. Cedric is only going away for a year then he'll be back for the summer. And there's Christmas_, she added brightly to herself and looked up at her father. He frowned at her tear stained face lifter her up and sat he on his lap on one of the kitchen chairs, letting her cry as much as she wanted to that her brother had left her alone.

She woke up the next morning in her brother's bed and had no idea how she got there. When she got downstairs she opened her mouth to ask if she had sleep-walked or something but her mum cut her off.

"We put you in there darling. We thought you might like it; it might make you feel closer to Cedric. Daddy told me how sad you were yesterday that he had gone, so we let you sleep in there." Gemma smiled. She had felt close to her brother in there and she realized he was probably getting her letter right now, and blushed as she remembered her father telling her it was going to get to Hogwarts before Cedric did.

"Gem, darling, what do you want for breakfast, hmm?" Gemma's mum asked her, pulling her back from her mind to her kitchen.

"Whatever you make, I want it Mummy." She smiled and skipped out of the house to enjoy the morning. She skipped back almost immediately as her mother seemed to have decided on waffles. She knew they were Gemma's favorite, but usually were only made on special days.

"Waffles, Mummy? Really?" Gemma was delighted, her first morning without her brother was turning out okay. After she ate, she decided to brave the twins and see how far she could go, so she asked her mother to take her to the village, Ottery St. Catchpole. The road to the Burrow, where the Weasleys lived was the last turn before you got into town. Gemma knew the way by heart, but she was still too young to go alone. Her mother had wanted to go into town sometime soon anyway and so the two of them set off down the road. Gemma had her mother take her to the Burrow, just to make sure that it was okay for Gemma to be there, and after making sure Mrs. Weasley was home and knew of Gemma's presence, Mrs. Diggory walked back up the road toward the village.

Gemma ended up having a very good time. Fred and George had caused her a bit of worry being the ones to answer the door, but Mrs. Weasley had sent them out of the house so that Gemma and Ginny could play. Ron, it turned out had elected to go the Ministry of Magic with Mr. Weasley, for he worked there, something with muggles, Gemma thought.

"Gemma do you want to play dress up?" Ginny was excited, she always seemed excited when Gemma came over to play. Gemma nodded, the game was much more fun when there was someone to play it with. "Mummy, can you get the dress ups?" Mrs. Weasley nodded and conjured a large, old fashioned trunk out of thin air that Ginny and Gemma dragged into the living room. They opened it up and found the most amazing assortment of dress up things Gemma had ever seen. But she always loved that trunk. Whenever Mrs. Weasley conjured it, it seemed to have new things in it. On that particular day, Ginny had been hoping to play princesses and Gemma agreed that would be fun. They shut the box lid and opened it again and it had two princess outfits in it, one that fit each other them.

"We ought to have real princess names, don't you think?" Gemma asked Ginny as she attemted to tie the bow on Ginny's dress.

"Ooh yes," Ginny squealed. "We've got a big book with some." And she ran to the bookcase, and pulled a huge, heavy looking book intitled _The History of the British Monarchy._In it was the name of every person who had ever been a part of the monarchy of Great Britain and extended family trees for most of the people. The two little girls each thought they should pick a name out of that book. Ginny decided on Victoria and Gemma went with Charlotte. They opened the trunk one more time and found two very pretty plastic tiaras and put them on their heads ready to begin their game.

Ginny laid down on the couch and ordered an invisible servant to fetch her some cake and then giggled.

"Wait, princesses don't giggle, right Gem- I mean, right Princess Charlotte?" Princess Victoria grinned a very unladylike grin.

"Why my dear Princess Victoria," Princess Charlotte said, shocked. "a princess can do whatever she wants, it's in the rule book."

"What rule book?" The red-headed princess asked. The other opened the trunk once more and pulled out a rather small book which claimed to be the guide to being a true princess. It only had a few pages of rules. The rest were suggestions on how to be very ladylike. "Oh Princess Charlotte," Victoria cried, appalled. "We don't get to be princesses, look at the first rule." She pointed out that it was clearly stated that in order for there to be a princess there had to be a queen, otherwise the princess would become the queen. Neither one of the two princesses wanted become queen, far to much responsibility, they decided. The two young royals set about finding a queen. Mrs. Weasley was their eventual decision and she was happy to play along with their game.

Fred and George returned from their banishment, but volunteered to be royally exiled because otherwise they would have to have joined the game and were told princes, pages, servants, and subjects did not play pranks on royalty. They didn't think that would be much fun, but were hoping to convince the mum to let them go to Diagon Alley with their dad; and thought they had best stay on her good side. Letting the little girls tell them their sins and exile them from the kingdom seemed like the best way to the twins.

The two girls played their princess game for most of the afternoon. They knighted a few of the gnomes in the Weasley's garden, or at least they attempted to. Princess Victoria had managed to get their mother, the Queen, to let them carry her wand for a little bit, and one gnome sat still just a moment to long while Princess Charlotte knighted him.

"I hereby declare you to be a knight of the royal monocy." She had never been able to say "monarchy" correctly, and tapped him with the Queen's wand and the little gnome jumped away in fright for the girl had managed to put a knights helmet on his head.

"I did magic! Real magic, I'm going to Hogwarts, I am, I am!!" The girl Gemma was back, leaving the princess far behind. She had always known she would go to Hogwarts, she had shown signs of magic before, but never in such a blatantly obvious way before. Gemma seemed to realize this was not part of the game, and stopped shouting, and the Princess Charlotte returned to the Burrow.

About an hour later, the Queen of the monocy came outside to ask her two royal children if Princess Charlotte intended to sleep at this palace or the one down the road. Princess Charlotte replied that if she was allowed to sleep at this palace, she would much prefer it.

Princess Victoria then returned the wand to her mother, the Queen, and the two girls went on a royal picnic. They had a lovely afternoon together; the princesses wandered down to the paddock to watch Fred and George make a brave attempt at a game of Quidditch, and laughing Princess Charlotte decided the only thing she could imagine them truly prospering at in Quidditch was if the rules changed so that people could be bludgers. On second thought, she decided that maybe if they weren't using brooms that they had stolen from the shed, it might work better. She had heard the Queen threatening to put a charm on the shed so that brooms taken without permission would be most unwilling to work well with their rider and Princess Charlotte thought she may have followed through on that particular threat.

After dinner in the evening, Gemma and Ginny had to find a new game to play, as they had taken off their princess costumes for dinner and put them in the trunk which Mrs. Weasley had vanished to get it out of the way. Ron had come back from the Ministry with Mr. Weasley, and was now telling his mother about all of his many exciting adventures. Apparently he had almost run into an owl that was carrying a memo, and another one had made quite a mess in one of the lifts, Ron began giggling as he told this and Mr. Weasley sighed.

"They've been saying they're going to get rid of the owls for almost a year, but no one is doing anything about it."

"Why ever not?" Mrs. Weasley looked a bit surprised; it was common knowledge that the owls were a complete nuisance at the Ministry.

"No one has any reasonable ideas for what to use to carry memos instead." Mr. Weasley scooted Ron over on the couch and sat down next to his wife.

The family and Gemma stayed down in the living room, all avidly avoiding the corner where Fred and George were writing something down and laughing, with their signature evil grins darting around the room, for about an hour. Around 8:30, Gemma was getting quite tired and Ginny was too. Mrs. Weasley had noticed this; Gemma didn't think there was anything Mrs. Weasley didn't notice, particularly when it had to do with children. She ushered the two of them upstairs and helped Gemma get a nightdress to wear, made sure they got into bed, turned out the light with a flick of her wand and Mrs. Weasley went back downstairs to begin the nightly debate with Fred and George to try to convince them to go to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

i own nothing that is JKR's. just my characters. and it's not like i'm getting money for them.

Chapter 2

Gemma had gotten up early every morning since she had turned eleven, determined to be the one to find her letter. But this morning she had overslept and she raced down the stairs, in such a rush she forgot to slide down the banister. She flew through the living room knocking over only two chairs and skidding to a halt in the kitchen when she heard her brother say "Hey cool it kiddo or you're going to break something really important," Cedric gave her a cheeky smile and showed her a thick envelope, "this arrived this morning, but I think we're going to have to check with the post office, it was clearly sent to the wrong house." And he made to put the letter in his pocket.

"Cedric Diggory you give me that letter right now!" Gemma frowned at her brother, she didn't care that she didn't know what a post office was. At age fifteen, Cedric had grown a lot from when he was eleven. He was very tall with well kept brown hair, and was very attractive, although to Gemma he was her stupid big brother. She practically shredded the envelope in her rush to get the letter open. Gemma gave an ecstatic squeal when she read the letter through. She knew what it was going to say, she had read Cedric's letter so many times she had it memorized, but it was a different experience altogether when the letter said Miss Diggory at the top, not Mr. Diggory. She noted that the deputy headmistress was still a person called Professor Minerva McGonagall and the headmaster was still Albus Dumbledore.

"Mummy – Mum, when can we go buy my stuff and can I please have and owl and is Mr. Ollivander still the only wand maker, cause he kind of creeped me out - Merlin I'm so excited!!!" Gemma gasped out in one breath, turning slightly pink when she said Mummy, Gemma knew eleven was much too old to say Mummy but she still slipped up sometimes.

Mrs. Diggory took Gemma and Cedric to Diagon alley a few days later. Cedric went to the the shops with them in the morning, but ran into some friends of his and left to wander around with them. Gemma didn't care though, because she was buying all sorts of interesting things. She could barely keep still during her robe fitting, and kept imagining the crest of Hufflepuff on them when she got to school. Gemma knew she would be un Hufflepuff, people often told her she was like her dad and he had been, plus she knew she wasn't smart enough to be in Ravenclaw and she was brave enough to be Gryffindor and there was no way she get put in Slytherin, Cedric had told her that most of the Slytherins were pure blood maniacs. Gemma knew blood didn't matter, but she knew that Slytherins were not nice at all to muggleborns and so she silently thanked her parents for being pure blood, because she did not think she could deal with persecution at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts, Gemma couldn't wait to get there. Hogwarts was where she was going to make friends, there would be loads of people her age. Gemma knew that Ginny would be in Gryffindor and she would be in Hufflepuff, so she wasn't really going to have a friend at school. Ron was already at Hogwarts, he was going to be starting his second year in Gryffindor. Ginny had told Gemma that he was good friends with Harry Potter, and Gemma was a bit jealous of him for it. Harry Potter had defeated You-Know-Who when he was one year old, and according to Ginny, he had come face-to-face with him again at the end of his first year at school, and come out unharmed – again!

As much as Gemma liked Ginny, she was a bit glad that she and Ginny would not stay best friends, everyone knew they would be in different houses because it was always alarming to be at her house for too long because Ginny's older twin brothers loved to play pranks and their room always seemed to have a funny sort of smell wafting out of it, and it was not smart to go in because it was almost always rigged with at least one trap. Even if you steered clear of their room, like Gemma always tried to do you still ran the risk of sitting next to something of theirs or becoming their next unwilling test subject. Gemma found Ginny was most often cast in this role, for she was the youngest, and they seemed to feel they had the most power of her.

Gemma vividly recalled spending the night at their house and waking up alone in Ginny's room and going downstairs to find Ginny and, indeed, finding her in the kitchen wailing to her mother about her "stupid, stupid brothers!" for Ginny was sporting the color bright blue. Everything that was not her skin was blue; her hair, her teeth, her nails, everything. It was quite overwhelming to look at. Fortunately for Ginny, Mrs. Weasley managed to get it all sorted out before anyone else came downstairs. Fred and George had come downstairs looking quite excited and their faces fell at their normally pigmented little sister and abnormally pigmented mother, for Mrs. Weasley had turned quite red when she saw them. They made to go back upstairs, but did not get more than about a foot towards the stairs when Mrs. Weasley started yelling at them. After a satisfied smirk, Ginny had grabbed Gemma's hand and pulled her into the garden to get away from it all.

It would have been worst in the summer because all seven of the Weasley children were at home but during the summer Gemma wanted to hang out with her brother anyway. This was proving a bit difficult though, as he seemed to not like her so much anymore, because he was always going to hang out with friends from Hogwarts. Gemma told herself that if she had a younger sibling she wouldn't ignore them during the summer, but knew there was nothing she could do. As her mother had explained to her when she had voiced these troubles, Cedric was not the same sort of brother she remembered from when they were kids.

"Go on Gemma, you first." Cedric was nicely letting Gemma go through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ first. She felt more grown up then she ever had in her life with her trolley with her school trunk and her spell books and cauldron and most importantly her brand new owl, who she had named Amber because of her enormous amber eyes. She had her wand tucked into an inside pocket of her jacket and her face was flushed with excitement. After many last minute instructions from her mother and a hug and a kiss from her father, she ran away to find Ginny and the two of them clamored on the train and got ready to start what they had both been looking forward to since they were five years old and learned what Hogwarts was because Ginny's brothers were going and they were at last old enough to truly understand what magic and Hogwarts were. They looked for a compartment that wasn't too full and finally found one with four other girls in it who all looked like they might be first years as well.

"Excuse me, but can we sit here?" Gemma inquired, pointing to the two remaining seats. The girls all said yes and Gemma and Ginny sat down. It seemed they didn't know each other and were all on the point of introductions. They went around the compartment and Gemma learned she was sitting with Kerry Abbott, Elizabeth Sanchez, Molly Jordon and Caitlyn Mason. Molly and Kerry both had older siblings at Hogwarts, Elizabeth was a muggleborn and exceedingly nervous and Caitlyn was the first in her family to go to Hogwarts. Ginny and Molly began talking about what they were looking forward to when Ginny discovered that Molly expected she would be put in Gryffindor, just like Ginny. Gemma thought that Caitlyn would be a Hufflepuff, and Caitlyn agreed. Kerry thought she would be a Hufflepuff because her older sister who had started Hogwarts the year before was a Hufflepuff. Gemma decided she thought Elizabeth would probably be in Ravenclaw because she had read all her school books, and had already tried to test herself on what she remembered.

It was starting to get dark when Elizabeth informed them that they should all get changed because it would be time to get off soon; she had been up to the front to ask the conductor. When the train slowed down and stopped at the Hogsmeade station and they all got off, Gemma got her first shock of being at Hogwarts. The largest man she had ever seen was holding a lantern and shouting for the first years to follow him to the boats. What boats? Gemma exchanged an anxious glance with Caitlyn, but Kerry looked excited, Molly and Ginny didn't seem at all worried about the boats and Elizabeth had disappeared again. It worked out quite well that Elizabeth was missing, because the giant man said no more than four people in a boat and with Elizabeth there would have been too many.

They glided across a large black lake and turned a corner to see the loveliest sight Gemma had ever laid eyes on. Hogwarts was a million times prettier than she could have imagined. It looked like something from a fairy tale, and Gemma grinned as she remembered her fairy tale plan for life starting at this castle from when she was little. Now she was going to be a healer at St. Mungo's. After getting off the boats and walking up from the lake to the castle, they were greeted by a severe looking woman who led them into a side room near, Gemma assumed, the Great Hall. She had heard Cedric talk about how huge the Great Hall was, but she had decided she had to see for herself before she believed him.

After a few minutes of being nervous in the side room, and meeting the ghosts, the Hufflepuff ghost seemed very nice Gemma decided. She had also made up her mind that she was going to be in Hufflepuff because that was where Cedric was and she wanted to be in the same house as him. As they filed into the Great Hall, Gemma was in awe; Cedric hadn't been lying about the Great Hall, it was truly enormous. It would have fit her house at least three times, maybe more. The first years lined up at the front of the room and were told that when their names were called to sit on the stool and try on the hat. She wasn't paying attention to all the names but she did want to know where all the girls from the train went. Kerry was the first to be called and she was immediately put in Hufflepuff, and she sat down next to a girl who looked like a slightly older, and blonde version of herself. She was busy surveying the Hufflepuff table, looking for her brother when she heard her name being called. She stepped up to the hat trembling and put it on her head. She jumped at least a couple feet when a little voice in her ear said "Not to worry, you won't be hard at all, you already know where you're going don't you. You're one of the loyalist I have seen in a while, no question at all. HUFFLEPUFF!" and having shouted the last word to the whole school, she grinned and raced over to the table where Kerry was saving her a seat, got a pat on the back from her brother and decided she was now able to enjoy her evening.

After a very short speech from the headmaster, food appeared on the plates in front of them, and Gemma had to admit, it was delicious. She had always thought her mother was the best cook in the world, but whoever did the cooking here could certainly give her mum a run for her money. During dinner she got to know the other first year Hufflepuffs. Other than her, Caitlyn and Kerry there was just one girl named Elise Ross. There were also four boys, Chris Knight, Sean Flanagan, Aaron Cross, and Sam Howard. Caitlyn and Chris seemed to know each other quite well, Gemma thought she heard them telling Sam that they lived on the same road, but no one else had any prior friendship. Gemma decided that now that she was at Hogwarts, she had better get over her dislike of boys and by the end of the evening decided that she liked Aaron the best of the boys.

After all the food was eaten, the school was dismissed and Gemma had to grab the back of Kerry's robes to keep from being swept away with the Ravenclaws. They were lead by two fifth year prefects who Gemma though looked huge, but realized they were the same age as her brother. They walked down a corridor and came to a door that looked different than the other doors Gemma had seen. This one had lighter wood, and not so many carvings and the handle was a badger, so this was clearly the door to the Hufflepuff common room. Gemma was very excited. They were given a password and told it would change periodically, but it was usually a name of a magical creature or plant. Right now, it was kneazle. They went in and Gemma saw the prettiest room she had ever seen. It was a large open room full of armchairs and couches. There was a circle of bean bag chairs on one corner, and the walls were a pale yellow color which gave the room a very cheerful feel. The girl prefect, Gemma thought she had said her name was Alison, was leading the girls up a staircase off to the right of the common room and Gemma quickly followed. She gave Cedric a little wave before getting pulled up the stairs by Caitlyn.

At the top of the stairs was a room that said "Second Years" on a plaque and four girls, including the girl who looked so much like Kerry, left the group to go into their room, just beyond were two doors that both said "Fourth Years" and three girls went into each. On the other side of the hall from the fourth year dormitories was the first year dormitory and Gemma, Kerry, Caitlyn and Elise went in to find their things had already been brought up. Kerry grabbed her things and jumped on the second bed from the window.

"I hope no one minds," she grinned "I just like some light, but too much keeps me awake."

Gemma took the bed by the window nearest Kerry, Elise took the bed by the other window, and Caitlyn having claimed she had no preference whatsoever, took the last one which put her next to Elise. The girls all lay with their heads at the foot of their beds so that their heads were together in the middle of the room talking about everything they couldn't wait to begin before Elise suddenly cried "Merlin, it's 11:15, and we have class tomorrow morning!" to which everybody immediately turned around and went to sleep.

In the morning, Gemma got dressed and went down into the common room, hoping to see her brother, but he came down with a lot of friends, so she only got say hi before he left for breakfast. Caitlyn and Kerry came down a couple minutes later and the three of them went to the Great Hall. The food was already on the dishes, but Gemma hadn't expected breakfast to be quite as formal as the feast from last night. The food was still quite good, and Gemma couldn't wait to go to her first class. She didn't particularly love school, but she was still excited to start learning proper magic. Professor Sprout, head of Hufflepuff was going down the table, handing out schedules when Elise came in. Their first class that day was Defense Against the Dark Arts then they had double Transfigurations class, a break for lunch, Herbology and last Potions. They only classes they didn't have were Charms and History of Magic. Elise was sad there was no History of Magic until she learned it was just Professor Binns (who Gemma knew was a ghost because Cedric told her) droning on and on and most people slept through it. Gemma didn't really care about History of Magic, she was most excited for Charms, but was quite looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Gemma thought Professor Lockhart was probably the best teacher Professor Dumbledore could have hired. He had defeated so many dark creatures and he knew about everything! After Defense Against the Dark Arts they had double Transfiguration. This seemed to Gemma like the hardest of all magic, and after they took a lot of terribly complicated notes, each student was given a match and told to try to turn it into a needle. Gemma managed to make her match's end smooth out but then she just had a smooth stick, not a match or a needle, so she didn't feel like she had accomplished much. Caitlyn was the only Hufflepuff to fully transfigure her match.

Lunch was a very welcome affair. Gemma thought her head was going to blow up if she did anything else, and they already had homework, they had to study their notes on transfiguration enough that the next day they would all successfully transfigure their match. After lunch the first year Hufflepuffs had Herbology, with the Slytherins, which Gemma was dreading. She didn't know any of the Slytherins, but if they were anything like what Cedric and all of the Weasley boys said they were, Gemma knew she would not like them.

Gemma realized she had no idea where the Herbology class took place and was relieved that Elise had asked one of the prefects, Gemma knew she would have been much too shy to do that, but Elise was not a shy person at all. Herbology turned out to be quite fun, Professor Sprout was covered in dirt the entire time, but Gemma supposed that was to be expected when you spent all your time with plants.

The class Gemma was dreading was Potions. Cedric had told her that Professor Snape always favored the Slytherins, which made Gemma grateful they didn't have Potions with them, but they had it with Ravenclaw and they were bound to be much smarter than the Hufflepuffs. The dungeon, where Potions was held was the gloomiest place Gemma had ever been. There were no decorations, nothing other than strange looking pickled substances around the dark gray walls. Almost immediately after the last person sat down, Professor Snape came bursting in and the class fell silent. When Snape spoke, it was in barely more than a whisper that he told them they would not be foolishly waving their wands, and saying silly incantations, and that probably most of them would not be good at this subject, but he had the class' complete attention the whole time. Gemma had the feeling he was used to having total control over his classes, and knew he would get it in that class as well. They set about working, and not too long into the class, Sam Howard, one of the other Hufflepuffs, tried to ask a question and Snape blatantly refused to help him, saying he can't have been listening to the explanation properly and took five points away from Hufflepuff. Gemma could tell even the Ravenclaws though this was unfair, but nobody could do anything about it and nobody asked another question in the class.

On Wednesday, they had double Charms with the Ravenclaws. Gemma thought putting anyone with the Ravenclaws was unfair because they always knew everything. Gemma liked having class with the Gryffindors best because they were not loads better then the Hufflepuffs, like the Ravenclaws usually were, and they didn't always call them stupid like the Slytherins did.

In Charms they were supposed to be making their feathers fly, and all the Ravenclaw girls got it and only one of the boys didn't halfway through the lesson, when Kerry and Chris were the only two Hufflepuffs to have successfully levitated their feather. By the end of the lesson both Caitlyn and Gemma had managed to make their feathers jump about a foot in the air and then come back down and refuse to budge, but Aaron and Elise had gotten theirs to fly. This got Gemma, Caitlyn and Sam homework and no one else, which Gemma thought was unfair, but there it was.

Gemma's first week was fairly uneventful. She decided she did not like having a midnight Astronomy class, but knew there was no better way of studying stars and moons than looking at them. She was always rather tired the next morning which was not so good, because she had an in class Astronomy lesson the next morning, but at least the teacher understood why everyone was so sleepy.

As Gemma's first month went by, she decided the only things about the school she didn't like were that she didn't see Cedric very often, Slytherins in general, Professor Snape and the amount of homework she got. Other than those things, she loved everything about the castle and the people in it. Gemma decided her best friend was Caitlyn, but she really liked Karry as well. Ellise was also her friend, but she was rather bookish and would go to the library a lot.

Gemma was proud that she had gotten over her dislike of boys. She continued to think it was a bit weird when a boy and girl were "going out. Gemma thought that was a very weird term. Going out where? She was pondering that particular thought because there were two people kissing fairly close to her when a couple of fourth year girls came up to her.

"Excuse me, you're Gemma Diggory right?" Gemma nodded. "So Cedric Diggory _is_ you brother than right?" Gemma nodded again. "Wow, do you think you could introduce me to him sometime?" Gemma shrugged noncommittedly.

"Well," she began. "I don't even know your name, and I don't know what he thinks about anybody." She sighed. "I hardly ever get to talk to him."

" Oh, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself." The girl laughed and tossed some very long black hair over her shoulder. "I'm Sara Howard, you're in the same year as my brother, Sam."

"Oh, yeah I am." Gemma sighed, she hoped this wouldn't happen a lot. Sara looked at her two friends and giggled. She turned back to Gemma.

"So do you think you could introduce me sometime?" Gemma decided the best way to get rid of this girl would be to agree, so she told her would introduce her to Cedric sometime. After saying thank you far too many times, Sara and her friends sauntered off, Sara looking very pleased with herself. Gemma surveyed the room looking for her brother and having located him, called across the room "Hey Ced, can you come here for a minute?" He looked up, smiled at her, and a couple seconds later, walked over and sat down next to her and Caitlyn. Gemma noticed that Sara had turned bright red and was watching Cedric intently.

"Cedric, this is Caitlyn, Caitlyn, Cedric" Gemma introduced her brother and her friend and they exchanged greetings.

"So what's up little sister?" Cedric asked with a grin. Gemma decided to ignore the use of "little sister" and just get on with the problem.

"Have you got a girlfriend?" She thought it was best to just say it straight. Gemma had never been one to beat around the bush and she could tell she caught Cedric off guard.

"What? Where did you hear that? No I don't have a girlfriend." Cedric was looking at her suspiciously.

"No, it's not that, it's just, that girl over there, Sara, she wants to be introduced to you, but I thought I should make sure you don't have a girlfriend first, but you could just go talk to her, that would make it way better for me. Cedric looked over to where Gemma was pointing. "Sara Howard? Really? I thought she was going out with a Ravenclaw." Gemma shrugged. "Hang on, Allie always knows who's going out with who, she'll tell me." And with that, he abruptly got up and went to talk to the fifth year prefect. After a moment, he smiled, said thanks and walked over to Sara, who had been watching the whole time and turned a fairly pretty shade of pink when she realized he was walking over to talk to her.

The next day Gemma wished she hadn't agreed to introduce Cedric to Sara, because when she walked down the stairs in the morning with Caitlyn and Kerry she found the two of them kissing on one of the sofas, but they didn't seem to notice Gemma, so she just left the common room feeling slightly put out.

So what do you think? Is it worth continuing??

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	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took so long. Spring break, sickness and trying to catch up on work. but here we go!

I own nothing.

Chapter 3

Gemma couldn't wait until Halloween. It was one of her favorite holidays. She had always loved to dress up as a little girl, but once she had decided she was too old for dress up, Halloween had been her chance to get to dress up and no one would make fun of her. She knew there would be no dressing up and giving away candy here, but there was going to be a magnificent feast, and that was good enough for Gemma. 

Aaron proved to be quite a good friend to Gemma, though she was a bit wary of him from her prejudice against boys. However, the two of them had quite a nice conversation at dinner on Halloween about what they would do on the holiday at home. Gemma's family lived close enough to muggles that they had to have candy at their door because the muggle children would come by dressed up like ghosts (or how they imagined ghosts) and princesses. That was the reason Gemma would dress up on Halloween. She convinced her mum to let her go "Trick-or-Treating" as the muggles called it on Halloween. Gemma had been convinced ever since her first Halloween as a muggle, that muggles were really much smarter than wizards gave them credit for.

Aaron had never heard what muggles do for Halloween and he was roaring with laughter as Gemma described some of the get-ups they came up with. Her particular favorites were the children who put a white sheet over their heads and supposed they were ghosts and the little girls who put on princess costumes and then added some sparkly wings and declared themselves fairies. Aaron's family had always just had a big feast with the rest of his family, which, Gemma learned, was very large. He began pointing out all his cousins and second cousins and even a few aunts and uncles at the other house tables. There were three siblings at the Slytherin table that Aaron said were second cousins of his, but no one talked to their mother anymore and they themselves would not have admitted to being related to someone in Hufflepuff, much less the two cousins in Gryffindor.

They looked up when they heard Ernie Macmillan, a second year, burst out laughing and say through a tear stained face "We're hav-" he coughed "having the next doors" here he started laughing so much he lost the ability to speak "for a drink tonight!" and then he and his friend went off into a wail of laughter. Gemma supposed this was the punch line to a joke, and after thinking for quite a while what it could possible mean, decided it was most probably a joke about vampires, and that it if was, she supposed it was reasonable funny.

After the feast, they were all leaving the Great Hall and there was one corridor where the whole school crossed paths, and everybody seemed to have stopped walking and were pointing and whispering to each other. Gemma figured out why pretty soon. On the walls written in what Gemma dearly hoped was paint was "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware." Even more unsettling, as Gemma had no idea what the Chamber of Secrets was; was the fact that Mrs. Norris was hanging from a lamp holder, **(A/N: How the hell did a really large snake manage to tie up Mrs. Norris? And while we are on it, how does it get out of the walls in order to petrify or kill people. Wouldn't there big a rather largish hole in the wall that would be noticed? A very large basket of easter candy to anyone who comes up with interesting theories on those two little problems. Anyway. I'm done rambling, on with the story)** and Gemma was sure she was dead. However, the most unsettling thing of all was that it 

looked as though the person who had done it was Harry Potter. Ron was with him, like usual as was Hermione Granger, who Gemma did not know at all. Filch came and it was rather scary how mad he was. Eventually Professor Dumbledore sent all the students, except Harry, Ron and Hermione back to their dorms.

When they got back to the common room, they were told not to leave it again by the prefects, and thought that they might as well get started on their homework, so they could either stay here or go into their dorms. Most people went to their dorms because the common room was a bit crowded with the entire House in it, but the first years all stayed. Gemma figured that way they could ask what was going on more easily. She had no idea, and clearly most of the older students were quite worried. She thought her brother would be the best person to ask.

"Ced, can youcome here please?" She called across the room. Her brother looked up and walked over.

"What's up, Gemma?"

"What was the thing in the hall about? The Chamber of Secrets?" Gemma noticed that Cedric looked unsure of what to do.

"I don't really know, Gem. It's a legend, the Chamber of Secrets. No one really knows if it exists or not."

"But, if it doesn't, why would someone write on the wall that it does?"

"To scare people, maybe." Cedric frowned a little. "I don't really know, Gem."

"What's the legend?" Gemma was a bit shy asking this question, but she wanted to know. 

"I don't know much about it, but it's something like Salazar Slytherin built a hidden chamber in the castle somewhere that none of the other founders knew about. Supposedly he put a terrible monster in it that would kill all the muggleborns, or others who shouldn't be here when Slytheirn's heir came to Hogwarts."

"What a charming man." Caitlyn had come over to listen, and apparently she didn't think much of Salazar Slytherin. Neither did Gemma, but the idea of the monster within the chamber was what was rather more unsettling for her than the amount of charm, or lack thereof, that Slytherin had.

Although the prefects had suggested that students work on their homework, no one seemed to be able to. After Cedric went back to his friends, Gemma began to notice that everyone was sitting in tight little groups, whispering to each other, no doubt about the Chamber of Secrets.

The next day the air was thick with rumors about who or what had killed Mrs. Norris. According to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Mrs. Norris had only been Petrified, but Gemma wasn't sure if she believed that. She didn't know what Petrified meant, but eventually accepted that whatever it was, that was what had been done to Mrs. Norris.

"How do they know?" Caitlyn wanted to know when they learned who had told everyone about the Pretrification (A/N: is that a word?)

"Dumbledore must have told them. Why on earth those three though?" Kerry didn't seem any more certain that anyone else in Hogwarts.

Harry Potter had gotten the bones in his arms removed by Professor Lockhart. That didn't make sense to Gemma. She knew that he knew so much great stuff, how could he have messed up like that? She stopped thinking about that particular problem the next day when it was all around the school that a first year Gryffindor named Colin Creevey had been attacked that night. He, like Mrs. Norris was laying Petrified, like stone, in the Hospital Wing. Gemma was terrified one of her friends would be next. 

"Guess what Gemma? Professor Lockhart is going to teach the whole school how to duel. That way if the heir of Slytherin tried to kill us we can defend ourselves!" Gemma had never seen anyone that excited about possibly being murdered.

"Calm down, Kerry. He's doing what?" Gemma was excited. She wanted to learn how to defend herself, because she was not going down in her first year at Hogwarts. And even though Mrs. Norris was just Petrified, Gemma still didn't fancy the idea of joining her in the hospital wing. On the day of the dueling club, most of the school showed up in the Great Hall where the tables had all been cleared and there was a kind of stage instead. Professor Lockhart gave a short speech about why the dueling club had been formed and then brought Professor Snape up as his assistant. After Snape blasted Professor Lockhart backward (Gemma hoped he was alright) Lockhart suggested that the students have a go at Disarming. He paired Gemma up with Elise, and the two of them set to work attempting to Disarm each other. They had both just gotten it when Lockhart brought Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy in front of everyone so that they could demonstrate or something like that.

After sending a bunch of jinxes at each other that were most certainly not Disarming spells, Malfoy said something that caused a snake to shoot out of the end of his wand. Gemma screamed, as did quite a few other people. The snake looked like it was going for a boy in Hufflepuff, he was a second year and Gemma couldn't quite remember his name. He was friends with Ernie Macmillan. Gemma's train of thought froze when she heard the most terrifying sound she had ever heard. It sounded rather like a snake, but it was a little different. She looked up and her jaw dropped. Harry Potter was speaking snake language, he seemed to be telling the snake to go attack the second year. Justin, Gemma thought was his name. After what seemed like an eternity, the snake stopped hissing at Justin and lay down, looking at Harry. Gemma was looking back and forth between Harry and the snake; she didn't what to be more afraid of: Harry Potter as a Parslemouth or the fact that there was a huge snake less than ten feet away from her.

After the dueling club, everyone was whispering about how Harry Potter must be the heir of Slytherin. Gemma did not want to believe it, he had conquered You-Know-Who, how could he be the heir of Slytherin? Harry didn't seem like an evil wizard and her friends were no help at all. They had no better idea than she did about what was going on. She decided the best thing to do 

would be ask Cedric. He thought that Harry had to be the heir. What other explanation was there?

"Gemma, I know you love him and all," Gemma decided to ignore that. "But look at the facts; he's a Parslemouth, and then there's the two attacks."

"Harry didn't have anything to do with them, did he?"

"Well, he got in trouble with Filch, and then Mrs. Norris gets Petrified and that Creevey kid was annoying him at the match, and then he got Petrified that same night. It doesn't look too good for that Justin kid. Not if Potter doesn't like him for some reason." As much as Gemma hated to admit it, what Cedric said made sense. She asked some second years and Ernie Macmillan said almost exactly the same thing. (A/N: haha sorry I know that was lame, but I took what Cedric said from ernie's little speech in _Chamber of Secrets_ so I thought "eh, what the heck")

Hannah Abbott came running up to her sister, telling Kerry that she didn't want her to have any contact with Harry Potter because he is trying to kill Justin.

"What are you talking about Hannah?"

"He came up to me and Ernie and some other kids and he wanted to know where Justin was, and now," Hannah paused, looking immensely troubled. "Now Justin has been Petrified as well!" She looked almost like she was ready to cry.

"What?" Gemma didn't believe it. Justin was nice. Harry was nice. Nice people do not try to kill other nice people.

"He tried to kill Justin. Justin told him he was muggleborn, that's probably it. He's Slytherin's heir and he is trying to kill the muggleborns. But we're okay, Kerry. We are pureblood and you are too right Gemma?" Hannah paused and Gemma nodded. "Good, that's good. Make sure Harry Potter knows that. And don't get in his way."

Gemma had just heard the worst news of her life. Harry Potter was the heir of Slytherin. He had to be, there was no other possible explanation. Gemma went to bed feeling more depressed than she could every remember feeling.

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	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing

thank you for reading!!

Chapter 4

It turned out Hannah was quite strict with her little sister. By the end of the week she had come up with of list of rules she forced Kerry to live by. According to Hannah, the most important thing to do was always be with at least one person. She forbid Kerry from being alone. Hannah reasoned that Harry Potter was less likely to try to kill a group of people than just one person. Gemma wished that Hannah would stop saying "kill," "Petrified" would be better because that was what it seemed like Harry, privately Gemma hated herself for agreeing but also knew it was the only thing that made sense, was doing.

Kerry was a bit frustrated with her sister, but followed her instructions none the less. Gemma noticed most of the first years had taken to traveling in small packs. Some of the older students had started walking with other people as well. In fact the only person Gemma ever noticed alone was a Ravenclaw first year girl who always seemed to be in some other universe. (Yes that is supposed to be Luna) Gemma hoped for the girl's sake she was not a muggleborn.

It seemed the Hufflepuffs were the most worried about the attacks. Gryffindor's mostly seemed upset with Harry, Ravenclaws were probably much too smart to get Petrified by a twelve year old, so they were not all as scared as the Hufflepuffs. None of the Slytherins seemed worried at all, but since they were in Slytherin it was unlikely that Salazar Slytherin would want to kill them.

Professor Sprout was growing mandrakes in order to revive Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey and Justin, but it seemed to Gemma that it was taking forever. Everyone wanted to question Colin and Justin about who attacked them. Or at least, it seemed to Gemma, that was what people were saying when teachers were around. When there weren't any teachers around, people wanted to know what sort of dark magic Harry Potter knew how to do. Gemma wanted to know when he had turned into a dark wizard. He was the last person she would have guessed, but people will show unexpected characteristics. Gemma was angry and sad at the same time, both emotions directed at Harry.

She had been hoping that her brother would be a bit of a comfort to her if she had any questions, but that was proving to be a very untrue hope. He was constantly with Sara and Gemma didn't like Sara, so she didn't like to be with her brother when Sara was. Occasionally, when Sara was somewhere else, Gemma would go talk to Cedric, and get his opinion on the attacks and what was going on. His opinion that it was Harry never changed and after being around an entire school who thought it was Harry Potter opening the Chamber of Secrets, Gemma was entirely convinced it was him as well. She was even a bit worried when she heard that he was planning on staying at the school for Christmas. This worry caused he to immediately sign up to go home for Christmas. Besides, she would never admit it, but Gemma missed her parents. She missed her mum's cooking, and her dad's jokes, however stupid they were. She was too old to miss her family, Gemma knew it was true, but she still did. When she shared this feeling with Cedric one of the few times he was not with Sara, Gemma was surprised that he said that was how most people her age probably felt.

"I missed you guys every day for the first two months my first two years at Hogwarts, Gem. It's totally normal. I still miss Mum and Dad, and you will probably still miss them for quite a few more years."

"Really?" Gemma loved the idea of being allowed to miss her parents. That gave her so much relief that she gave her brother a hug, and was surprised that he hugged her back in a willing sort of way. Cedric had stopped wanted to hug her when he was eleven, but apparently he didn't care anymore. "What are we doing for Christmas this year? Do you know?"

"Nope, but I think we're just having Christmas at home with Mum and Dad."

"So no one else is coming and we aren't going anywhere?" Gemma was excited it that was the case. She liked having Christmas at home with just her parents and her brother.

"Well we will probably go see the rest of our family at some point, but I think that for Christmas itself it's just our family."

"Yesssssssss!!" That made Gemma's day, and for a minute she forgot that there were two people and one cat practically dead in the Hospital Wing. She remembered quite soon though.

"What about Colin's parents and Justin's? I bet Christmas is going to be no fun at all for them." Gemma looked at the ground, feeling guilty for her pleasure at not having to be around her extended family on Christmas when these people wouldn't even get to see their children.

"I don't know what they are going to do. They might come and visit them, I guess." Cedric's happy face had also been exchanged for a very glum and very unchristmassy one. "Two more weeks though!" He added, brightening up again and Gemma thought that it was impossible for her brother to be something other than happy for more than about two minutes.

Kerry and Caitlyn were both also going home for Christmas. Apparently Mrs. Abbott was rather like Hannah and had told her daughters they would be disowned if they didn't come home for the holiday. Gemma was a bit shocked when Kerry told her this, but Kerry assured her that her mother was joking. Gemma thought that seemed like something her dad might say. The two weeks until Christmas could not have gone slower. Gemma felt that it was really more like ten weeks before she was packing her things to get on the Hogwarts Express and go home.

"Mum!!" Abandoning all attempts to seem mature, Gemma went flying at her mother for she had truly begun to worry she would be the next victim and never see her mum and dad again. From the look on her mother's face, Gemma thought she had probably been thinking along the same lines.

"Gemma darling, are you alright? Cedric, how are you?" Gemma thought her mother was probably the most worried person on the planet, but looking around she noticed that most of the other mothers looked like that as well.

"Sure you're alright, Gem?" Gemma nodded at her father and gave him a hug. Cedric gave their father a hug as well, but Gemma could tell he wished he didn't have to.

Once in the car, Gemma's mother persisted in asking questions about what was going on at the school and who was behind all of this and what was Professor Dumbledore doing about all of it.

"It's Harry Potter, Mum. He's the heir of Slytherin."

"How could you say something like that, Cedric? Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who, why would You-Know-Who go after the heir of Slytherin? Wouldn't he want to wait until he grew up and join forces?"

"Michael reckons You-Know-Who was afraid Potter would compete with him for world domination."

"Cedric that's ridiculous." Mrs. Diggory obviously didn't agree with whoever Michael was. "What do you think, Gemma?"

"He is, Mum. Harry Potter is a Parsletongue. That's proof enough, I think. Plus Colin had been a annoying him and Justin told him that he was a muggleborn and Filch had just tried to punish Harry. It's got to be him, Mum."

"I didn't know Mr. Filch had been attacked." Gemma's mother turned to look at her in the back seat.

"He wasn't, Mum, his cat was."

"Some Petrified a cat?" Gemma's father chuckled. "Seems like a waste of time to me."

"Dad! That's a terrible thing to say!" Gemma thought it was wrong to say something like that about something in the state Mrs. Norris currently was. True, she didn't like Mrs. Norris much; Gemma had always thought she was rather an animal form of Filch, only sneakier.

They finally reached home and Gemma had never been gladder to see a building in her life. She was even happier than the first time she saw Hogwarts. There was no Harry Potter to Petrify her at home, and none of her friends had stayed at the school over the holidays so none of them were risking getting attacked for the next two weeks and Gemma could rest easy.

The first week of the holidays was the best week Gemma had had in a long time. She was not constantly on the alert, and she could do as she pleased. She went to visit the Burrow, hoping to find Ginny, but apparently the Weasley children had stayed at Hogwarts and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were not there. Gemma didn't really mind, she went into the village and saw some of the muggle children there. They were all nice enough, but Gemma didn't think it would be any fun to hang out with them because you had to pretend to be a muggle like they were. She went to the town's little park for a little while, but as it was covered in snow, there wasn't all that much that a person could do.

While she was at the park, a couple of muggle kids came up to her and wanted to know why her family always seemed to keep to themselves.

"I don't know, we live out of town." Gemma looked at the ground, she had never been that good of a lier.

"So do I, but we come in almost every day. And where do you go to school, anyway?"

"Up north. A boarding school in Scotland." Gemma dearly hoped the girl wouldn't ask what this boarding school was called. The girl raised her eyebrows, but to Gemma's relief, seemed to accept her story.

"I'm Laura Devon, by the way and this is Elaina. What's your name?"

"Gemma. Gemma Diggory." She smiled at them. Maybe muggles weren't so boring to hang with after all.

"My mum owns the little café across the street. We were just going to get something warm to drink. Do you want to come?"

"Yeah!" Gemma thought something warm to drink would be wonderful. "Let me go tell my mum." She ran over to her mother, who agreed and said she wanted to buy some food for dinner that night, and Gemma ran over to where Laura and Elaina were waiting.

"Mum, this is Gemma Diggory, she goes to school in Scotland." While Gemma thought this was a bit of an odd way to introduce someone, she went with it hoping it wouldn't lead to any questions.

"Are you Claire Diggory's daughter?" Mrs. Devon looked over at Gemma with a smile.

"Yes, do you know my mum?"

"She comes in here sometimes." Gemma was a bit jealous. She had never been in a muggle coffee shop before, and she thought it was quite interesting. There was a very strange looking machine that was hissing and sputtering and various drinks seemed to be coming from it. Laura must have noticed Gemma looking at because she looked at Gemma a bit weird.

"It's an espresso machine Gemma. You must have seem them before, every coffee shop I've ever been in has one."

"What? Oh, yes I have." Laura looked at her a bit strangely but, like the school accepted it without comment.

"Do you know what I saw my dad buying yesterday?" Elaina had been quiet until this point.

"What?"

"Well, he didn't actually take it from the store or anything, but I saw him making a deal with the owner of that pet shop up the road. Which means he's probably gotten a puppy for me and Brian." Gemma assumed Brian was Elaina's brother.

"You're getting a puppy? Oh you're so lucky, I wish I could have one."

"Why can't you?" Gemma was curious why a person shouldn't be able to have a puppy.

"My sister is allergic to them. She coughs a lot and gets a rash on her face." Laura giggled. "It's really funny looking."

"Laura, please, that's not very nice, dear." Mrs. Devon had returned and was not all that happy that Laura was making fun of her sister's ailments.

"Sorry, Mum, but it is kind of funny looking."

"I'll bet you wouldn't think that if it was you." Laura shrugged and turned away from her mother towards Elaina and Gemma.

Gemma spent the afternoon at the coffee shop with the two girls and had quite a nice time. She tasted all sorts of muggle drinks she had never had before, and they were all quite good. Around four o'clock, her mother came by and after a quick chat with Mrs. Devon, she and Gemma went home. The next day was Christmas Eve and Gemma could not have been more excited. She loved Christmas more than almost anything else in the world. Her family had a huge dinner, that was just as good as the food at Hogwarts, or at least Gemma thought so. Her family had opened one present Christmas Eve before bed. They all went to bed and Gemma lay awake hoping for it to be morning for the longest half an hour of her life.

The next morning was, as usual, one of the highlights of Gemma's year. She loved opening presents, and she decided that now she liked giving presents too. She had worked hard to pick out presents for her family, and had also sent presents to Kerry and Caitlyn. After spending the morning at home, Gemma got on her cloak and followed the rest of her family back into the living room and they flooed to Gemma's mum's parents house for Christmas dinner with all of her aunts and uncles. They would go to her dad's family's Christmas celebration the next day.

Gemma couldn't remember leaving her father's sister's house, but she woke up in her own bed. she thought it was likely she would have felt Appiration or Flooing, but she didn't really mind. Gemma did mind the next thing that came into her head; she realized that there were only four more days of the Christmas holiday. She spent the first part of the morning trying to decide whether to beg her parents to let her have Kerry and Caitlyn over, or to beg them to let her go see them. Eventually her parents agreed her friends might come to play the next day, but Gemma would have to check in with their parents.

She quickly sent letters to them with her owl and spent the rest of the morning sitting by the kitchen window waiting for her owl to come back. She had told the owl not to come back without replies. Fortunately for Gemma, her request had been a fairly simple one. Within three hours, her owl returned and both girls had said they could come. Gemma jumped around the kitchen in a happy sort of way until her mother told her to either calm down or find somewhere else to be hyper because she was trying to make lunch.

After lunch, Gemma went with her mother into town, she thought she might see Laura and Elaina. She decided muggles were actually quite interesting because they had come up with ways to do quite a lot of what wizards did, just without magic. Elaina didn't seem to notice much, but Laura had defiantly noticed that some of the simplest, most ordinary muggle contraptions seemed to mystify Gemma. She confronted Gemma about some of her concerns about Gemma's far to confined life.

"Gemma," Laura sat her down in the café looking serious. "I think you need to change schools." Gemma was shocked, of all the things she had been afraid Laura was going to ask, this idea of leaving her school was not something she would have ever expected.

"Change schools?" She tried to keep her voice normal. "Why?"

"Well you said you go to boarding school, right?" Gemma nodded. "Do they ever let you guys go anywhere? Cause you don't seem to know what, like, anything is."

"Oh, um, yeah, the school is really far from any town, so it's hard to see much." She was dearly hoping that would be sufficient enough for Laura who had seemed to accept Gemma's odd explanations in the past.

"What's it called?" The dreaded question had come up. Gemma fiercely racked her brain for something that sounded Scottish. She kept coming back to Professor McGonagall and thought something about her would work, and only be half a lie.

"Um, McGonagall's…. Academy?" She realized she had made it a question and knew Laura would notice. She tried to stop sinking in her chair.

"Academy?" Laura giggled and imitated her questioning tone. "You aren't sure what you school is called?"

"Well," Gemma invented. "We all just call it 'McGonagall's' so I always forget if it's an academy or school, or institution or whatever."

"Oh." Fortunately that seemed to work for Laura. Unfortunately, she seemed to thinking hard. "What does it look like?" that was not a question Gemma would have expected.

"Um, it's in a big old castle. It's really pretty."

"Wow," This was Elaina. "I wish I could go to school in a castle."

"Me too," Gemma did not like how this conversation was going. "How did you find out about it?"

"My parents went there." Well, it was true.

"I wish I could go." Gemma decided the time was right to stop their hopes.

"Well, that would be cool, but they don't take transfer students after grade school." Okay, so Hogwarts didn't have grade school, but who said McGonagall's Academy didn't?

"Why on earth not?"

"Um, the curriculum is really hard." Gemma didn't really know what a curriculum was, but she knew it had something to do with school. "And it's broken up into boarding houses, so it would be weird it someone came into a house later. We're supposed to be like a family, so you know, it would just wouldn't work to well." Laura looked skeptical at first, but then nodded and Elaina did the same.

"That's too bad. I love Scotland. My mum went to school there too." Gemma knew that was bad. If Laura went home and asked her mum about a boarding school in a castle called McGonagall's Academy in Scotland, Gemma was done for. She spent the evening at home attempting to come up with a good excuse. She couldn't. She hoped the next day with Kerry and Caitlyn, Laura wouldn't try to get an answer out of her. There was always the possibility that Laura didn't ask her mum, but Gemma hadn't spent much time hoping for that.

When Kerry and Caitlyn arrived the next morning, Gemma's mother suggested they go into town. Gemma was a bit reluctant at first, but Kerry and Caitlyn both wanted to see what a real muggle town was like. Kerry lived in a town that had some wizards and some muggles, so that there were hidden shops all over the downtown area. Caitlyn lived out in the country so she had to appirate to get anywhere, so her family always shopped in Diagon Alley.

"Gemma we need to talk to you." Laura looked a little intimidating and Elaina looked a bit hurt. Gemma paled, she hadn't had time to explain her lie to Kerry and Caitlyn. "I have some bad news about your school." Caitlyn turned and looked at Gemma questioningly while Kerry froze, staring at Laura in shock. "It doesn't exist. My mum said she had never heard of it and so I searched for it on the internet, McGonagall's Academy right?" Gemma nodded and Caitlyn snorted. "It didn't come up." Wondering briefly what the internet was, Gemma tried to come up with an answer, and to her great surprise it was Kerry who answered.

"Well, it's a private school, and they don't have a website." What on earth was a website? Kerry must know from living around muggles. Gemma also hoped that meant she was good at keeping cool when they asked something about magic.

"They don't have a website?" Laura looked incredulous.

"Nope, we don't need one."

"Whatever, my mum said there isn't any way your school could be in a castle."

"Why not?" Gemma thought that was a bit ridiculous.

"Because all of the habitable castles are owned by the government. There's a few ruins of castles, but everyone would know if one of them was a school."

"Not necessarily." Gemma frowned. "Our school is way in the mountains, not many people go there."

"But they would have seen it on satellite images." Gemma exchanged glances with Kerry and Caitlyn and could tell neither of them knew what a satellite was either.

"Maybe the missed this one." Caitlyn offered, but Laura shook her head.

"It's a picture from outer space." How did muggles learn to do that? "They wouldn't have missed this one. So either you're making up this whole school, Gemma, or you don't actually go to school in a castle, or you go to school in a pile of rubbish."

"We do go to school in a castle!" Gemma found herself getting a little mad. "Just cause you're too thick to realize there might be more to our school than your lot can know, doesn't mean I'm making this up!" As soon as she had said it, she knew it was too much. That was going to lead to some weird questions.

"My lot?" Laura was glaring. "What exactly is 'my lot' supposed to mean."

"People like you, who can't necessarily believe in something just because you don't immediately get solid proof of it."

"A school in a castle is big enough that it would be noticed! You must go to some weird school. Is it like a cult where they brainwash you into thinking you're somewhere you aren't? I'm glad I don't go to your school."

"Fine, let's go." Gemma turned and Kerry and Caitlyn followed quickly.

"What was all that about?" Caitlyn wanted to know.

"Oh, last week they asked about where I went to school and I told them up in Scotland, and they wanted a name and all I could think of was McGonagall and so I said it, and then apparently Laura went to Scotland to check and didn't find it and-" but she was cut off.

"Whoa, wait a sec." Caitlyn stopped her. "When did Laura say she went to Scotland?"

"She said she 'searched' for it."

"No," Kerry's smile turned into a giggle. "She searched for it on the internet. It's this thing muggles use to communicate with each other."

"Okay then…" Gemma giggled as well. "Too bad they probably hate me now, they were actually pretty nice."

The rest of the day went by quickly. They went to a different café; Gemma thought it would be a bit awkward in Devon's, because Gemma wanted her friends to try all the drinks.

Kerry and Caitlyn both stayed for dinner, and ended up staying the night. The conversation went back to what Laura had been asking them in the café.

"Do you reckon she thinks there's anything really truly weird about us?" Kerry didn't honestly seem all that worried.

"Yeah, we're from a crazy brainwashing cult in a nonexistent castle in Scotland, remember?" Caitlyn couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of what she had just said.

"Oh yea," Gemma chimed in. "And we're here to corrupt you all with our ability to see castles when they aren't really there. We will force you to join us! Come with us and be corrupted!!" The three girls burst out laughing. Muggles really were quite amusing. They continued to laugh and come up with outrageous ideas about what happened at their cult school, until Gemma's mother came in and told them it was time to quiet down and go to sleep. She turned off the lights with a wave of her wand, closed the door and went back downstairs. Gemma, Kerry and Caitlyn continued to whisper from their sleeping bags until they all fell asleep.

They next morning when they walked downstairs, they were surprised to find Caitlyn's father and Kerry's mother in the living room chatting with Gemma's parents.

"Mum! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come and see where it was my daughter was sleeping and who was taking care of her, and Jack apparently had the same idea." Mrs. Abbott smiled and turned to Gemma's mother. "Would it be easier if I fed Kerry, Claire? I can take her home now, or she can eat here."

"Oh she can stay, you should as well, and you too, Jack?" She looked at Mr. Mason, who smiled and said that would be very nice, and the seven of them went into the kitchen.

"Don't you have an older brother, Gemma?" Mrs. Abbott asked as they sat around the table.

"Yes, but he sleeps for _ages_." She grinned.

"He's fifteen, Caroline." Gemma's father said with a knowing smile.

"Ahh, yes, my oldest daughter, Lisa, is going to be seventeen in the spring and Merlin, that girl that girl can sleep." The adults all chuckled and then Gemma's parents began directing various breakfast foods around the kitchen with their wands. Gemma watched the flying food and licked her lips, soaring over to a pan on the stove was bacon, and the oven door had just opened to let some flying balls of dough in. Biscuits, Gemma thought happily. Biscuits, bacon and eggs (yes I am American, so I don't really know what is eaten for breakfast in England) was Gemma's favorite breakfast. She also knew her brother would be woken up by the smell soon and follow it into the kitchen.

Exactly ten minutes and 42 seconds later, all eight people in the Diggory house were seated around the very small kitchen table whose size had been magically doubled in a kitchen which had been magically enlarged so there was room for everyone. Gemma's mother made a flicking motion with her wand and the food all came zooming to the table out of their various parts of the kitchen; the oven opened again and a tray of perfectly browned biscuits came out and were dumped onto a waiting platter, the bacon flew off the pan and, helpfully not dripping grease on everone, landed on a another platter. The eggs landed on a third and then butter, jam, marmalade, syrup and other such breakfast condiments came soaring onto the table.

"Well, everybody dig in." Gemma's father smiled as he began helping himself to two biscuits and asked Caitlyn to pass him the raspberry jam.

Review review review!!


	5. Chapter 5

wow, sorry for the rediculously long update time, i have been so busy and all that, but i should be a bit better about updating now

still not jkr

Chapter 5

Gemma didn't know if she was happy that the holidays were over. It would be nice to see all her friends every day again; not to mention that whenever she went into town with her mother, Laura and Elaina glared at her every time they saw her, which was a bit depressing. There was a small part of her that would rather have just stayed home. She was still terrified of the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter.

Nevertheless, she went through the barrier with her family at Platform 9¾. She kissed her mother goodbye, gave her father a hug and followed her brother onto the train. She found Kerry quickly and then the two of them went to find Caitlyn, who was already in a compartment talking with Elise. Elise had gone to France for the holiday and was telling all about her trip. They told her about the muggle girls and Elise found it all very funny, and the four of them spent the train ride laughing about the absurd ways muggles will ignore magic.

Back at the school, the students all got onto the carriages that were pulled by nothing and rode up to the castle. Gemma giggled as she remembered what Laura had said about how the school most certainly wasn't in a castle. Gemma briefly wondered what the castle looked like to muggles and their satellites, but didn't really care. She was excited and scared, which was not something she had ever felt before.

Once in the castle she felt safe when she was in the Hufflepuff common room gave her, but whenever she left it's safety, she immediately felt vulnerable. Gemma always turned around and walked the opposite direction if she encountered Harry Potter alone. He wasn't alone very often, and Gemma suspected he wouldn't hurt people when Ron and Hermione were around.

One morning, during Transfiguration, Gemma noticed that Ginny was looking a bit peaky, but thought perhaps the holidays has been a bit stressful. Gemma was hoping that Ginny would relax because there had not been any attacks since Justin. Gemma smiled at Ginny whenever she passed and made sure to ask how she was doing, and what her favorite part of Hogwarts was. The two girls hadn't had much time to talk since the year started because they were in different Houses. She got an opportunity to speak to Ginny in the corridor one afternoon.

"Hi, Ginny." Gemma started, Ginny smiled and Gemma continued. "having a good year?"

"Umm, it's okay. Felt a bit sick yesterday." Ginny seemed to be choosing her words carefully, but Gemma figured she was still feeling a bit off. "What about you?"

"I'm having a great year, 'cept the attacks, those were scary." Ginny nodded and looked away. "But now Harry seems to have stopped, so it's no big deal!" Ginny looked up, and Gemma thought she seemed a bit scared.

"Harry? What's he got to do with anything?"

"Ginny, he's the one who's hurting people."

"No he's not!" Ginny turned and ran away towards some corridor Gemma had never been down. Gemma had no idea what that was all about, probably cause Ginny had always idolized Harry Potter as much as Gemma had, but surely she could see what he was doing. Gemma was a bit sad 

that she had made such a muck of their friendship, but she figured if Ginny wouldn't notice what Harry Potter was doing, she didn't want to hang around with her that much anyway.

The weeks passed quite quickly with no one getting attacked and Gemma found this a nice way to start the second term. She found herself wondering why Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were still hanging around with Harry Potter if he was so bad, but she didn't think on it for too long.

The school year passed relatively normally for the next couple of months, in March, when Professor Sprout said that the mandrakes were almost ready, it marked the fourth month since the attack on Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick. Gemma and her friends had all stopped looking around the corner for Harry Potter before actually turning it and no one could have been happier when, in early April, there was a Gryffindor – Hufflepuff Quidditch match.

The stans were packed and there was an excited sort of buzz, Quidditch had remained one of the few things that was good about this rather disastrous school year. Gemma got a seat in the middle of the stands with the rest of the first year Hufflepuffs and heard Ernie Macmillan in the row behind her say to Hannah Abbott:

"We'll have to go tell Justin how the game comes out. He's going to be so sad he missed a year of Quidditch." Gemma felt the fear she had been feeling for most of the year come back, and she had just let go of it when it came swooping down on her in the form of Professor McGonagall coming out on to the field in a sort of frantic run/walk with a large megaphone.

"This match as been canceled. All students are to make their way back to the house common rooms, where their heads of houses will give them information. As quickly as you can please!" McGonagall put down the megaphone and beckoned to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley to come with her. Gemma heard her brother say to his girlfriend, Sara:

"Looks like they're finally getting Potter in trouble."

"About time." Sara looked thoroughly annoyed.

Back in the common room, the students all milled around nervously, waiting for Professor Sprout to come and give them "information" as Professor McGonagall had said. After what seemed like years to Gemma, Professor Sprout came in looking grim.

"There has been a double attack, a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor." Professor Sprout answered the question that was forming on many lips. "There are many new rules that have been put in place now, and they are as follows. All evening activities and clubs have been ended indefinitely, there will be no further Quidditch practice and matches have been postponed. You may not go to the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher, and you will be escorted to your lessons by a teacher. You will return to the common room by six o'clock and will not leave it after that point."

There was a stunned silence following the new rules.

"I hate to have to put these restrictions on you, but it is necessary. I should also tell you, while I know that none of you would withhold information about these attacks, should you see or hear 

anything, I urge you to tell a teacher, or a prefect, anyone at all really. The school will be closed if we cannot sort this out."

The slience after this little speech was more dismayed than stunned.

"Not out after six o'clock?"

"No more Quidditch?"

Esscorted by a teacher everywhere?"

"No more clubs?" Everybody was asking questions half to themselves, half to their friends as if to confirm what Professor Sprout had said. No one wanted to believe it was true.

"Professor?" A sixth year girl turned back to Professor Sprout. "Who were the people who were Petrified?"

"Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger." Professor Sprout sighed. "Well, that's all for tonight, I will see you all tomorrow." With that, she took one last sad look around the room and left.

"Hermione Granger?" Kerry turned to Gemma, open-mouthed. "But why would Harry attack his friend?"

"Maybe they had a fight!" Christ suggested.

"Maybe he was just pretending to be her friend?" Caitlyn looked like she hoped she was wrong, but at the same time hoped she was right. Gemma agreed; she didn't like the idea of pretending to be someone's friend, but it was better than Petrifying someone who was actually your friend.

"Nah," Aaron said. "I reckon he did it so that people would stop thinking it was him. Cause he's probably figure no one would believe that he did that to his friend."

"Maybe he didn't." Elise looked confused. "He was playing Quidditch when it happened."

"Well then he sent his monster on its merry way and it got Hermione." Gemma thought Chris was being a bit insensitive with that comment.

"So then he really could be sorry it happened. I'll bet he gets really, really mad at his monster." Sam laughed, but quickly stopped, seeming to decide it wasn't actually all that funny.

"Well, maybe he will stop sending it out if he gets worried that it will attack his friends?" Gemma thought she was being pretty sensible, and hoped she was right.

"Ooh, that would be good!" Kerry smiled and looked relieved.

"I don't know that for sure, Kerry." Gemma frowned and Kerry stopped smiling.

The next day there were rumors flying around the school, it seemed most people were thinking along the same line as Gemma and her friends. If Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin, why did 

he attack one of his best friends? Gemma felt a bit sorry for Harry; it was the first time since the beginning of the whole mess that people were even a little sympathetic toward him. Ginny also seemed even more nervous and jumpy, but she would not make eye contact with Gemma in the halls so Gemma couldn't ask how she was.

Everyone was really missing the mostly cheerful atmosphere that had been around since Christmas. People didn't try to avoid passing Harry in the halls anymore, but they were still a bit wary of him. Many people had also started checking round the corner before actually turning it.

"All students to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."Professor McGonagall's voice came booming out the very castle itself.

"What's happening?" Gemma cried, over the immediate roar of students all shouting to their friends, everyone was thrown into complete panic. Gemma distinctly heard someone shout: "We're all going to die!" but did her best to ignore them. People were running all over the corridor, Gemma felt someone grab hold of her robes and for a moment thought she was about to die when she realized it was just Caitlyn trying to keep up. Caitlyn did catch up and let go of Gemma only to give Gemma her biggest scare yet. She found herself being lifted off her feet and began twisting, trying to get out of the grip of what she was sure was a terrible monster, but turned out to be Cedric.

"You looked like you were about to get trampled, Gem." He grinned, but Gemma could see he was scared too.

"Cedric, what's happened?" She grabbed hold of him, and thought she would never let go. Gemma knew at that moment that she and her brother would be together forever. She loved her big brother and didn't ever want anything to happen to him.

"I don't know. Someone's probably been attacked. We're just going back to the common—" he was cut off, by the sound of Professor Sprout's voice.

"Students, please calm down and proceed to your dormitories in an orderly way." Everyone stopped still and began walking, completely silent. Gemma realized in that silence that she had a death grip on Cedric and her face was covered in tears.

"Cedric?" She whispered.

"What's up, Gemma?" He said, hugging her as he walked.

"Are we going to die?" He stopped walking.

"No, Gemma. We aren't going to die for a very long time. We're going to go home at the end of the year, the culprit will be caught, we'll come back to Hogwarts and we'll graduate and grow old, and be friends always." He hugged her again and started walking again. Gemma hugged her brother and started crying again. She so wanted what he said to be true, but in all the confusion she was terrified they were going to be hurt, or Petrified or killed.

They got to the common room and Cedric set her down on one of the couches and sat down next to her. She was suddenly exhausted and wanted to go upstairs and sleep, but she also wanted to know what had happened, so she didn't go upstairs. She was not really aware of much around her, but could tell that her friends were all sitting in a circle a bit away from where she was, but they weren't talking. The atmosphere was tenser than it had ever been before, and Gemma was vaguely aware of whispered chatter, but not really

"Gemma, wake up! Something's happened." Gemma felt herself being shaken by her brother, she had fallen asleep! She shot up on the couch.

"What happened?" She looked around, almost everyone else was either asleep or dead on their feet.

"You're friend," Cedric paused, he didn't seem to know how to say it.

"What friend?" Gemma looked wildly around, but all her friends were still in the common room.

"No, Ginny, she was—"

"Ginny was not the one opening the Chamber of Secrets, Cedric. That's ridiculous." Gemma sounded sure but as soon as she said it she wasn't. Ginny had looked awful most of the year, and she had been so sure it wasn't Harry, but Ginny Weasley, the heir of Slytherin? It made no sense.

"No, Gem, Ginny wasn't opening it, she was… she was taken down into it by the monster." Cedric looked away from Gemma and Gemma felt tears pouring out of her eyes.

"But, Ginny never did anything! She's a pureblood! Everyone knows the Weasleys are a pureblood family." Gemma frowned at her brother. Maybe Ginny knew something the monster wanted. Gemma was beginning to doubt that Harry Potter was the heir of Slytherin. If Ginny knew something he wanted to know, why wouldn't he just ask her? "It's someone else. Not Harry." She looked at Cedric and hoped he would believe her.

"What do you mean, Gemma? How can it not be?"

"Cause Harry Potter is best friends with Ginny's brother. He would just ask her something if he needed to. No, the heir of Slytherin needed Ginny for something or needed something she knew. Ginny…" Gemma trailed off. She would never see her friends again. Ginny had been her first friend, and while they had not really kept up their closeness this year, Gemma still really liked Ginny and had hoped that they would stay friends.

It seemed everyone in the common room knew Ginny's fate and no one looked sleepy or dead on their feet anymore. Everyone was stiff and tense; looking around at the slightest sound. Gemma looked over to her friends who were still sitting in a circle, but no one was talking. It was like someone had put a freezing spell on the Hufflepuffs, people hardly seemed to be breathing.

After what seemed like days, but was really only a few hours, Professor Sprout came running in the common room, looking overjoyed. Gemma heart leapt, maybe Ginny wasn't dead!

"It's all over!" Professor Sprout beamed. Very soon however she got a serious look on her face. "We all owe Harry Potter an extreme apology."

"Who was it then?" A seventh year boy shouted.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore has asked that information be kept secret. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley discovered the door to the Chamber of Secrets and went down to find Ginny Weasley. They were more successful than we could ever have hoped. Ginny Weasley is alive and well, a bit shocked, but just fine."

"Hmmm, that's funny. How did I get m voice so loud?" Came a very familiar voice, but without the usual pizzazz. Professor Sprout sighed.

"I suppose I should get him to the hospital wing. Professor Lockhart has completely lost his memory. I'm afraid we won't be having him as a teacher again next year."

There was a loud chorus of "Oh, no!" from the girls and "Hooray!" from the boys. Cedric grinned down at Gemma.

"You have to admit, he was a rubbish teacher." Gemma frowned at him.

"I will not!" But she smiled at him for the first time all afternoon.

The next day, Harry could barely walk two steps without someone coming up to him and shaking his hand, apologizing time and time again and professing their undying loyalty to him. Harry seemed to enjoy it, but at the same time, Gemma thought he might be a bit resentful and she could completely understand why. Gemma, too, would be a bit peeved if everyone spent the year accusing her and then said they were completely loyal to her. Harry was spending most of his time outside with Ron and Hermione, who had been restored and was probably the only person in the school who was not overjoyed that there were no exams. Gryffindor won the House Cup, as they should, and all too soon the year was over. Gemma was piling onto the Hogwarts express with her friends discussing their most exciting first year at school.

"I bet next year is really boring compared to this year!" Gemma said on the ride back to King's Cross.

"Nah, something will happen. It wouldn't be Hogwarts if nothing happened." Aaron said. "My cousins say that something exciting happens every year!"

"Not like this!" Kerry laughed.

"Well, not quite so dangerous, but yes, like this." Aaron maintained.

"Oh sure, and Sirius Black's the nicest man in the world." Caitlyn grinned ironically.

"I'm sure he's very sensitive." Gemma said with fake solemnity.

"Yes, actually I was going to send him a plate of cookies this summer." Elise said and Sam burst out laughing.

"I can't quite picture you doing that." He said to Elise.

"I hate him so much." Kerry frowned and suddenly the atmosphere was dark. Gemma also hated Sirius Black. He killed thirteen people with one curse. He was You-Know-Who's right hand man.

"He deserves Azkaban." She set her jaw. She had heard her parents talking about him and they had said he had something to do with the murder of Harry Potter's parents, but she didn't know anything else.

"Who is he?" Sean Flanagan was the only Hufflepuff first year that Gemma had not really gotten to know. He had mostly hung out by himself, or in the library. Gemma had seen him reading a lot. She wasn't sure why he was sitting with them.

"Sirius Black? The worst person in the world. He killed thirteen people with one curse. And he was big with You-Know-Who." Aaron said darkly. Sean looked sort of taken aback.

"Oh… wow, I get why you all hate him then." He smiled and throughout the rest of the train ride he was talkative and funny and Gemma hoped that he would continue to be friends with them.

"Bout ready, then Gem?" Cedric poked his head around the door. "We'll be to the station in about ten minutes."

"I still need to change." She smiled at him and he left. The four girls all drove out the four boys and changed, after which they switched places and when they were all back in muggle clothes, sat in the compartment together again.

The train started to slow down and Gemma began the attempt to pull her luggage out of the rack. She finally managed to, but knocked over Caitlyn in the process.

"Ouch!" Caitlyn grunted, but ginned at Gemma and pulled her own case down. When the train finally stopped, Gemma followed Elise and Kerry out into the crowded corridor and the three of them led the other five off of the train and onto the even more crowded platform.

"Gemma!" Gemma found herself suddenly being engulfed in her mother's hug. "I heard about what happened. Mrs. Weasley told me. Poor, poor Ginny. Have you talked to her? Is she doing okay? What about you? Are you doing okay? Oh this sounds like it has been an awful year!" Gemma was a bit overwhelmed and Mrs. Diggory was out of breath.

"I'm just fine, Mum. And I think Ginny is fine too. I guess she probably isn't her best, but she seemed fine." Gemma looked at her mother who breathed a sigh of relief. "Where's Dad?"

"He couldn't get off of work this morning, but he will be home when we get home."

"Then why isn't he here now. Hi Mum." Cedric came over and was also treated to one of Mrs. Diggorys hugs.

"Cedric! You've gotten about a foot taller!"

"Oh, Mum, you're making me blush. So why isn't Dad here?" Cedric grinned and a couple of people nearby laughed in the direction of Gemma and her family, though Gemma could tell it was because they thought Cedric was funny.

"Well, as I was telling Gem, he has to work. But he will be home when we get there."

"So why isn't he here now?" Cedric asked again.

"He has to work, like I said, and I thought we'd go get lunch somewhere and there are a few things I need to pick up in Diagon Alley if you two want to come." Mrs. Diggory smiled. Neither of her children ever passed up an opportunity to go to Diagon Alley.

After many goodbyes and see you laters, Gemma had made plans for about half her summer and she followed her brother out of the secret entrance into Platform 9 ¾ and was on her way out of the station when she noticed Harry Potter with a group of three very sour looking people. Well, one very sour looking person. The man looked like he was going to blow up very soon, the woman looked embarrassed and a bit scared and the boy looked downright terrified.

"What's up with them?" She tugged on her brother's shirt."You'd think it would be an honor to have Harry Potter live with you."

"I heard his muggle relatives hate him and everything to do with magic." Cedric grinned back at her. "Can't think why though. Bet it would really help them out if he would do magic for them."

"You guys coming anytime soon?" Mrs. Diggory frowned at them, with fake annoyance. "What are you looking at anyway?"

"That's Harry Potter, Mum!" Gemma smiled and his family heard her, because the big man looked around in her direction glaring when he finally located the group of three people staring at Harry. Harry himself didn't seem to notice though.

"Bye Gemma!" Kerry shouted at her, walking out of the station with her family. "See you in a few weeks!"

"Bye Kerry!" Gemma waved at her and her and her brother and mother left the station to go find lunch somewhere. "Mum, are we going to a muggle lunch place or a wizard lunch place?"

"Well we can't talk about anything if we go to a muggle place." Cedric frowned. "And I bet Mums just holding out to bombard us with questions."

"Nah, she knows the whole story. Probably more than we do, Mrs. Weasley told her what happened." Gemma said back.

"Oh, well then we can go wherever." Cedric looked a bit disappointed.

The three of them went to a café in Diagon Alley and Gemma got dragged off to look at broomsticks with Cedric while Mrs. Diggory did her shopping and then they all went back to their house. Gemma and Cedric were asked quite a few questions by their father as he had not heard the story from Mrs. Weasley. He seemed immensely relieved to have the whole thing over with and was very soon his usual joking self. Finally the family sat down to dinner and Gemma 

realized that as much as she loved school and her friends, coming home to her family was something she would never give up.

end of year 1!

i will do summer and then the next year and hopefully keep on doing as much of the rest of Gemmas school years as i can.

toodles

Lily


	6. Chapter 6

_I AM SO SORRY FOR THE UNEXCUSABLE LONG UPDATE TIME._

_I had a lot of weird things happening and I will try my best not to do taht again..._

Chapter 6

"Whazhapnng?" Gemma said, groggily sitting up much too fast and giving herself a headache. She had been sleeping and was all of a sudden awake. She thought she had heard something rather like a loud crack and then felt cold. She rubbed her eyes and her brain began working on what had woken her up. Gemma registered her open door and assumed that was the crack and realized her blanket was no longer covering her.

"Cedric I want my quilt back!" She said without even looking for her brother.

"Cedric?" said a voice that most certainly did not belong to a sixteen year old boy.

"Caitlyn?" Gemma opened her eyes. She saw her friend grinning at her, sitting on her pink patchwork quilt. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

"My mum's visiting my great aunt Georgina. Not my idea of a bucket of fun." Caitlyn grinned. "She's about 130 and her whole house smells like my little brother's bedroom, which smells like of a mix or dirty socks and stale waffles. Please don't ask how… I've never been able to figure it out. He's only ten and he already smells questionable. Anyway, I really didn't want to go, and Mum had already shipped my siblings off with Dad to visit a cousin of his, but I didn't go there either, and so Mum owled your mum and she said I could come. And I got here and you were asleep, so, naturally, I woke you up." Caitlyn giggled and sat down on Gemma's bed.

"Naturally…" Gemma hit her with the pillow she had been happily sleeping on only minutes before. "So how long are you staying?"

"A week." Caitlyn said. "So are those muggle girls still on your case?" Gemma grinned, remembering Laura and Elaina, who thought she, Caitlyn and Kerry went to a cult school in Scotland.

"I haven't gone into town yet, but I was going to go later today with Mum. So I guess we'll see, won't we?" Gemma was not hopeful that they would be welcomed back. She seemed to recall making them angry when she yelled about their "lot" but it was okay, she didn't really need them for any reason.

"Good, those muggle girls were crazy." Caitlyn giggled.

"Yeah, we'll probably see them."

One hour later, Gemma and Caitlyn were standing in the park with Mrs. Diggory after they walked into the village.

"Alright girls, here is some muggle money. And make sure you don't lose track of time. You're meeting me here again and noon for lunch. There's a big clock on the church right there, so check it every little bit. Have a nice morning, girls." Mrs. Diggory kissed Gemma's forehead and she sighed. Mothers would never learn. Gemma waved goodbye to her mother and turned to look at Caitlyn.

"So what should we do?" She asked.

"Well, not much choice for now, I see trouble coming." Caitlyn pointed behind Gemma and sure enough, Laura, not with Elaina this time, was marching in their direction, a determined look on her face.

"H-hey Laura." Gemma tried to smile and sound normal as Laura came up to them.

"Alright, I've decided that maybe you weren't lying and that I think you should tell me a bit more about your school."

"Listen, I'm sorry I yelled before, but honestly there isn't much more that I can tell you…" Gemma said. Which was true in some ways and not in others. There was definitely a lot more she could say about Hogwarts, but she wasn't allowed to. Also, it was McGonagall's something-or-other.

"Come on, Gemma you know that if you want to be my friend I can't think you lied to me. Please tell me something."

"I already told you everything that will make any sense… and apparently some things that didn't." Gemma shrugged. "It's in Scotland and it's in a castle, yes it is." Gemma said with feeling because Laura had opened her mouth in protest.

"But that's impossible!" Laura exclaimed.

"Not if you're willing to see beyond the visible." Caitlyn said, with a superior look on her face.

"Playing the philosopher?" Gemma giggled. Laura was not having jokes though, she seemed serious to figure out as much as she could about Gemma's alleged "McGonagall's Academy".

"What does that mean?" Laura said and then she got a different sort of look. "I mean, I know things exist that humans can't see, but how can some humans be blind to a castle while others go to school in it? You know what I mean? It's like, there's other things around… especially up your road Gemma, the air is just different over there. And down the other way, toward that funny redheaded family. I just feel like some delightful creature could stepping out at any moment." Laura paused and Gemma looked over at Caitlyn who was looking at Laura very intently. Laura must have seen it too, because she blushed a deep red. "You must think I'm the crazy one. I just always felt like I missed out on something amazing, and I feel like you guys have it."

Caitlyn looked at Gemma in a way that Gemma was sure was supposed to be a very meaningful way and was supposed to transmit some obvious message but Gemma drew a blank. She was shocked to the core when she heard Caitlyn say "Does the term "squib" mean anything to you, Laura?"

"Squib? No… never heard it before. What is it?" Laura asked. She clearly thought Gemma and Caitlyn were something special and were going to unlock the secrets of life. Gemma thought she needed to talk to her friend for a minute.

"Can I talk to you for a second Caitlyn? We'll be right back." She said to Laura and pulled Caitlyn out of earshot. "What was that?" Gemma was very, very confused.

"I thought maybe she was from a family of squibs or something. That she thought we might be witches, but didn't want to ask because if we weren't, that would lead to awkward questions from us. Guess not, though."

"Well, now what are you going to tell her a squib is?" Gemma frowned. "I wouldn't advise telling her it is the child of a witch and wizard who doesn't possess magical powers."

"I know, I know…" Caitlyn giggled and walked back over toward Laura. Gemma followed, hoping perhaps Laura had forgotten her question about squibs. "I know what you mean, Laura," Caitlyn was saying, "sometimes I feel like there is more too. It's like there is this fabulous world out there, and I just can't see it. Can't touch it."

"Really?" Laura was beaming. "What about you Gemma? Do you believe?" Gemma was startled but decided it would be best, and so nodded her head, smiling as sincerely as she could.

"Laura, what does this other world look like, do you think?" Gemma asked tentatively.

"Just like ours, it is ours. It exists right here, right now. But completely different. Everything is alive, it all has a soul. I think it's all like it, humans are just too dense to see it. It's things we think are completely normal. It's a world where you can have a conversation with your garden gnome. I bet they come to life when we leave home for the day." Laura grinned as she talked, "It's a magical place, this planet we live on. I know it, there's real magic even though no one else knows, or wants to even think about. My mum thinks I'm too old to still believe in magic, but I do. I know magic is real. I know there is magic here, in this town. There's somebody magical in this town, I know it, and I'm going to find them" Gemma squirmed uncomfortably here. "I want to talk to them. I want them to teach me. I want to see a unicorn. And a fairy. And all the other beautiful creatures I see in my dreams."

"You dream about magical creatures?" Caitlyn said, her mouth a large, round O.

"Every night. And flying on broomsticks, and being able to just tell yourself you want to be somewhere else, and there you are. And waving my wand and making the most fantastical things happen, making potions in a dark, dark dungeon. You know, ever since Christmas, all my dreams, which used to take place in places I couldn't decipher, it was like everything was clouded in fog, but now my dreams all take place in an old castle. A school really." Gemma was starting to be seriously freaked out. This girl knew about the magical world, only she thought it was just her dream. This was unlike anything Gemma had ever heard about. She didn't know muggles could see Hogwarts, even if they didn't believe it was any more than a very realistic dream. She even seemed to know the correct names for everything. She was talking about classes and spells and she had it all right, it was too weird.

Gemma was, while a little confused, fascinated by what Laura was telling her and Caitlyn. The three of them sat on the ground in the park for the rest of the morning and Laura talked about her dreams. She was practically describing a typical day at Hogwarts when Mrs. Diggory came walking over.

"…and then I went to Transfiguration with Professor McMurphy. She's very strict, but she likes students who work hard and try their best. Unlike Professor Ships, he's nasty. Only likes about three students. Oh, hello Mrs. Diggory. How are you?" Laura turned to look up at Mrs. Diggory 

and Gemma felt her own face become horrified. How much had her mother heard. She glanced up at her mother, whose face was showing a mix of fear, amusement, and incomprehension.

"Gemma, Caitlyn, I've act-actually got, all… everything I needed today. Why don't we go home for the day." She said, faltering as she looked at Laura questioningly. "Perhaps we can come tomorrow."

"See you later, Laura…" Caitlyn was also looking at Laura in a somewhat awed and somewhat terrified way.

"Bye." Gemma said, meeting Laura's face for a brief time, she saw a sort of shock and real hurt in the other girl's face. Gemma felt bad, there could be no way Laura would understand what was going on. Gemma decided the best was to act normal. She smiled at Laura, a real genuine smile and then turned and followed her mother and Caitlyn.

As soon as they reached home, Mrs. Diggory steered Gemma and Caitlyn into the living room, sat them down on the couch, pulled a chair up in front of them and gave them a funny look.

"What that girl talking about?" She said quickly. "She was talking about transfiguration."

"I don't really know, Mum…" Gemma said. "She just started talking about how she believes magic is real and that there is this whole other world that 'we' just aren't a part of. And she wants to find it and she has these dreams, Mum. Her dreams are exactly our world. She knows about everything. She knows Hogwarts exists, but in her dreams. She dreams that she goes to Hogwarts, only I believe it has a different name, I just can't remember what she called it. And she goes to all the classes, and she knows exactly about them, what they are called, what they teach, she even knows the names of real spells. And her professors, they are the real professors, just with sort of different names. Is that possible? She knows about our creatures. The kinds muggles can't see. She described a Hippogriff in a way that would have made Professor McGonagall proud!" Gemma paused for breath. "I didn't know muggles can know this stuff"

"I've heard about things like this before… I think it's actually quite common for muggle children to dream about our world, but they soon dismiss it as a silly dream, and then the dreams stop happening. I think that is perhaps of part of who becomes a witch or wizard and who doesn't. But it is mostly in blood. I can't think why this girl isn't a witch. Is it possible she is? And somehow she never got a letter? No, she would have gotten a letter. Anyway, I've heard of people having a small amount of magical blood in them, but not enough to make them a true witch or wizard, I have also heard that these people tend to have children who are witches and wizards, so I suppose you should watch for her in about 20 years. Perhaps Laura Devon will have children at Hogwarts at the same time as you do."

"That's almost worse than being a squib…" Caitlyn said. "You don't even get to know it exists, but you can almost see it. Oh well, if she has magic children, she'll get to be a squib-like mother and grandmother." Caitlyn shrugged. "Too bad we can't tell her she isn't making it up. Someone from the _Daily Prophet_ should do a piece on her. About how muggles might really know more than we give them credit for." she mused.

"Yes, but how would the reporter explain themselves? They can't just march up and ask her to tell them about the magical world she sees in her dreams. That would be way too… creepy." Gemma said.

"We should write down what she tells us!" Caitlyn almost shouted. "Then we could give it too a journalist who could publish it."

"They wouldn't believe us." Gemma frowned.

"There's got to be some spell to prove it is all the way we say it is." Caitlyn said. "And we could tell her it is for a summer project for school. We're supposed to… interview someone… who we think is…. interesting and unusual?" She grinned in a questioning way.

"That might work. Do you think we could, Mum?" Caitlyn turned to her mother, whose mouth was twitching upwards at the corners.

"Well you probably wouldn't have too much trouble getting Laura to tell you everything, and recording it some way, but you could run into trouble getting the _Daily Prophet_ to go for it." Mrs. Diggory said.

"Mum, you said you'd heard about other things like this? What are they?" Gemma asked.

"Well, nothing like what Laura told you, just things about muggles mentioning things only magical people could know or glancing in the direction of a magical creature that is invisible to muggles and reacting to it."

"That would be terrifying!" Gemma exclaimed. "Seeing one of our creatures, particularly because many of them do not look even remotely like muggle animals."

"Yes, I imagine it would be a bit unsettling." Mrs. Diggory smiled at Gemma.

"Mum, I bet we couldn't do this very easily." Caitlyn said, frowning.

"Do what?" Gemma asked.

"Get all the stuff from Laura. She already thinks there's more magic around here. She said she can feel it more up by this house and over by the Weasley's house. What if she gets suspicious?" Caitlyn said, and Gemma got worried. She hadn't really been worried about Laura anymore. She had just seemed happy to have Gemma and Caitlyn want to listen to her.

"She was so happy though, why would she get suspicious?" Gemma asked.

"Well, why would we be so interested? She said most of her other friends think she's crazy for still believing in magic, so she could think we were making fun of her." Caitlyn said.

"Just be careful, girls, and now why don't we have some lunch and you two can go into town tomorrow and look for Laura again." Mrs. Diggory ushered the two girls into the kitchen. "Now what shall we have?"

Gemma was slicing bread and Caitlyn was slicing cheese when Mr. Diggory came into the kitchen.

"Excellent," He smiled. "what can I do to help?"

"We need some meat for these sandwiches." Mrs.. Diggory said. "Ham, turkey or chicken salad?"

Gemma said "turkey!" at the exact same time as Caitlyn said "ham!" and as Mr. Diggory accioed some chicken salad.

"I see we have some disagreement." Mrs. Diggory said, chuckling to herself.

"Chicken is fine." Gemma said and Caitlyn nodded her head.

After lunch, Gemma and Caitlyn went outside for the afternoon.

"That was crazy, what Laura knew about." Caitlyn said, she had clearly been thinking about it all through lunch, but then, so had Gemma.

"It really was, she knew what a thestrel was. Not even all magical people can describe thestrels." Gemma frowned. "How can that all be dreams? She must have heard some witches and wizards talking somewhere. Otherwise, it's pretty much impossible."

"It's weird that she didn't know what a squib was. Because I asked her, remember and she didn't know. It's like in her version of our world everyone is magical. Squibs don't seem to exist in her dreams. And no one talks about them apparently." Caitlyn said.

"I hadn't thought of that, it is odd. It's like she knows so much, but then there are huge gaps in what she knows. So it has to be that she overheard some people talking about our world." Gemma said.

"Gemma, Caitlyn, come inside right now please!" Mrs. Diggory shouted out the back door, looking really worried.

"What is it, Mum?" Gemma had seen that look before. It was the same as her mother had had when she got off the train at Christmas and at the end of school year. That meant something bad had happened.

"…and the magical population must remember what a deluded and dangerous criminal Black is. We don't need to remind you that he killed 13 people with one curse. He must be apprehended immediately for the safety of both magical people and muggles alike. We fear Black may be looking to start up You-Know-Who's plan and begin recruiting for new Death Eaters." Came a very agitated voice out of the wireless that had been set down on the kitchen table.

"Mum, what does that mean?" Gemma said, she felt her heart pounding.

"Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban." Mrs. Diggory said, her face as white as a sheet as she switched off the wireless.

"No! That's impossible. It's inescapable." Gemma shook her head, refusing to believe it. She also inwardly cursed herself as she remembered her and her friends joking about him on the train ride home.

"But… how… how?" Caitlyn was almost shaking. She was looking blankly around the room, terrified.

"No one knows, Caitlyn." Mrs. Diggory said softly, she was clearly trying to stay calm and comfort Gemma and Caitlyn.

"It's in the middle of the ocean. He would have had to swim. And the dementors, how would he get passed them?" Gemma said, pacing up and down.

Just then Cedric and Mr. Diggory came in the back door laughing at something and smiling with each other. Upon seeing the look on Mrs. Diggory's face, the trembling, sheer terror that Caitlyn was radiating and Gemma pacing up and down the room, they both immediately stopped smiling.

"Claire, what happened?" Mr. Diggory ran across the room to his wife, who pointed at the wireless. He turned it back on.

"Trust no one who looks like he could be Black is disguise, the Ministry is currently printing hundreds of thousands of posters so that the public can know what Black looks like." Came the voice, sounding even more agitated.

"What does it mean, Mum?" Cedric said, staring in shock at the wireless.

"Sirius Black escaped." Gemma said, her voice barely over a whisper. "He's out there somewhere." And Gemma ran over to her brother and hugged him as tight as she could.

"He can't be…" Mr. Diggory said, losing some of the color in his own face.

"He is and no one knows how." Mrs. Diggory said.

By the end of the day, Gemma and Cedric had been given a whole new set of rules they had to live by. Gemma was not to leave the house without direct permission from one or both of her parents. She could not leave the property unless escorted, Cedric did count for this. Caitlyn had been picked up within a few hours. Her dad and siblings had returned from their vacation and her mother had hurried home from visiting her aunt.

Gemma went to bed that night feeling scared and depressed. She was pretty much tied to her mother with a very short string and Sirius Black could show up anywhere at anytime.

_I am not going to be dropping the Laura thing anytime soon, and no she is not a witch who didn't recieve a letter. I wasn't sure if this is too long for the Sirius Black thing, but I figure Fudge doens't tell the muggles right away, only when he thinks it is getting out of control._

_Lily_


End file.
